QuestionDear Sir/Madam,
My name is Meera Choudhury (age 34), residing in Delhi, India.
I have completed a diploma course in jewellery designing from JD Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi, in the year 2000.
I've also successfully completed Jewel CAD course from IIGJ (Indian Insitute of Gems & Jewellery, New Delhi).
I've worked as an instructor for jewelry designing in 2 institutes.
Presently, I'm running a jewellery retail showroom with my husband in New Delhi from past eight years.
Now, I wish to do a comprehensive course in jewellery manufacturing from a reputed institute in US.
I've found the course outline of these institutes impressive.
Kindly guide me, which will be the most beneficial one for me.
revereacademy.com
stewartinternationalschool.com
newapproachschool.com
howard-academy.com
I've some idea of benchwork, but I wish to learn from the basics to latest casting techniques.
I'll be thankful to you for your guidance.
AnswerDear Meera, I thank you for this interesting question. The most interesting part is the effort you have made in education to be proficient in this jewelry industry. (You will note the spelling of jewellery as is correct in the United Kingdom form of English is spelled jewelry in the USA.)
I will make brief comment only on the schools with which I have some true reference and recommendation from others. I am not familiar with the Howard Academy but have heard and read unbiased recommendations from former students either in person or in Internet contact forms.
The Revere Academy is headed by a well recognized jeweler and instructor. This school is highly recommended and does seem to have a rather flexible course of study presentation for the student. The school is located in a large city, San Francisco. That location may be considered to be positive or negative, depending on cost of lodging and convenience to and from the school. The school should be able to provide information on these issues of lodging convenient to the school, along with dining and other needed aspects of spending some time there.
The New Approach School is recognized as one of the first to open training doors to more advanced methods of instruction. Live video from instructor demonstrations is used and are other more advanced methods of instruction. I knew personally a jeweler who was a student at this school. He was very pleased with the instruction and I saw from my experience that this man was provided a good base level training. He could have returned for more advanced training but now we are not in contact. The school is excellent in teaching the basics and advanced techniques and tools of the working bench jeweler, including casting methods suitable for the smaller shop or business.
Meera, this is my suggestion and I believe doing this will help in your decision. Please go to the web sites for the school and with the contact e-mail address given, provide your training and experience to the instructors and ask this question: "You have read my training and experience. Now, please be kind enough to help me make a decision of which school to attend in your country. You may help by telling me why I should come to your school and not one of the others from my list of possible choices. The training is very important to me and I intend to get the best I can and to work with enthusiasm to be a fine student and gain much to bring home with me. You will be very kind to respond as directly as you must to help me make this difficult decision." Certainly, rewrite the question to the schools as you wish but do ask the school to tell you why their institute is the best choice for you.
Do ask about lodging and other personal factors of the area surrounding the school location. Interesting is that these two schools are located on opposite sides of the USA, with the Revere Academy near the Pacific ocean and New Approach near the Atlantic ocean.
This is likely the best I can do for you here. I do wish you the very best in advancement of your abilities in jewelry work. God Bless and Peace. Thomas.
